


Plus One

by myrthrilmercury



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Awkward Romance, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Idiots in Love, Las Vegas Wedding, M/M, Meddling, Meet the Family, Musical References, Pining, Song Lyrics, Vegas Golden Knights
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-26
Updated: 2018-03-26
Packaged: 2019-04-08 06:10:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14098983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myrthrilmercury/pseuds/myrthrilmercury
Summary: In an attempt to convince his family he has a boyfriend, Marchy asks Perry to come to his cousin's wedding as his plus one.Because that always works.





	Plus One

**Author's Note:**

> Using the 2017-18 schedule as a baseline here because I am unfortunately not equipped with a crystal ball.

“I need a favor.”

David Perron couldn’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment upon hearing the words come from Jonathan Marchessault’s mouth. Then again, he was the idiot who’d gotten his hopes up in the first place when Marchy had texted him and asked if they could speak alone before practice, saying he had something important to ask him.

Of _course_ it was something completely benign. No matter how many times the idle fantasies of a confession of feelings or Marchy pulling him aside and asking him out looped in his head, they would never be anything more than just fantasies.

But this wasn’t just anyone asking Perry for a favor. It was Marchy. Marchy, with his gaze averted, arms hanging limply in front of him, and hands clasped nervously, was asking him for a favor. Something major had to be going on for Marchy to be this embarrassed about it.

Perry could never have Marchy, but he could at least help him. 

“Yeah? What is it?” Perry tried to sound as nonchalant as possible, but his voice still wavered slightly at the first syllable. He silently scolded himself, mentally reiterating the importance of remaining neutral.

“I really fucked up this time.” Marchy unclasped his hands but kept his gaze down as he kicked at the floor tiles with his right foot. “Mom has been nagging me forever about getting a boyfriend, and I finally had enough and told her I was seeing someone even though I’m not. She called my bluff.”

“…Yeah?” Perry raised his eyebrows in interest, unsure whether he liked where the conversation was heading.

“My cousin Therese is getting married in November, and it’s at the Bellagio. She said she wants me to bring him as my plus one so she and Dad can meet him.”

“Oh.” The earlier twinge of disappointment morphed into a sympathy pang as Perry recalled similar nagging from his own mother in the past. An international border and several curt hang-ups any time she brought up the subject had eventually put a stop to that, but he knew the feeling of desperation to end the constant nagging all too well. He’d figured out how to shut her up after discussing it with others, but could understand a desperate (albeit terrible) decision in the heat of the moment just to _make it stop._ “Well, you still have a couple months. It’s not like you won’t—”

“No, you don’t understand.” Marchy paused and took a deep breath before lifting his head and looking Perry right in the eyes. “I told her you were my boyfriend.”

Fortunately, there weren’t any mirrors around for Perry to see just how ridiculous he must have looked as he felt his brain short-circuit. If his face even slightly resembled the inside of his mind upon hearing Marchy’s explanation, he probably looked like he’d just stuck a fork in an electric socket. “Uh…” Perry took a deep breath of his own and held it for a long while as he tried to form a coherent response. Instead, he could only ask the question which now burned in the forefront of his mind. “Why?”

“Because, well, I—” Marchy abruptly cut himself off before turning his head and looking away. “You were the first person I thought of, and…” A thousand expressions crossed Marchy’s face in a split second; far too quickly for Perry to decipher. “Never mind. Just…will you come with me?” Marchy cocked his head to one side, eyes nervously pleading. “Please?”

Perry’s heart remained in limbo for several long moments as he mulled over Marchy’s avoidance of the question repeatedly. He finally decided: it really didn’t matter why. What _did_ matter was that they could be close, at least for a short while.

And maybe, just maybe, he’d work up the nerve to tell Marchy how he really felt about him.

But for now, those feelings had to remain locked away, never to see the light of day. “You sure about this?”

Marchy nodded enthusiastically. “Positive. Look, I’m sorry, I—”

“I’ll do it.”

Now it was Marchy’s turn to freeze in shock as Perry attempted to decipher the emotions that played out instantaneously across Marchy’s face as he tried to formulate a response. Even after what seemed like several minutes, all he could manage was an incredulous “…Really?”

Perry nodded. “Just tell me where I have to go and when.”

Marchy’s face twitched one final time before he sighed in relief. Had he… _smiled?_ “Thanks. I _really_ owe you one.”

Perhaps it had only been an uncontrollable tic, or a simple release of tension. But the split second in which the potential smile occurred replayed over and over in Perry’s head, even when he went to bed and when he woke up the following morning. 

Had that been a smile, or was he only imagining things?

He knew he was overthinking things, but he couldn’t get that, or Marchy, off of his mind.

***

Marchy and Perry spoke frequently over the following weeks as they ironed out several details, including the creation of a believable story as to how they ended up together. Perry had met Marchy’s parents before, but everything had been strictly platonic and professional. Hopefully “we spent more and more time together and realized just how much we enjoy each other’s company” was somewhat plausible.

Perry couldn’t help but notice: between games, planning their ruse, and the fact that Marchy was now sitting next to him whenever they traveled for road games, they suddenly _were_ spending a lot of time together as well as talking to one another much more frequently.

Naturally, most of their conversations had to do with hockey or ironing out various details, such as what colors Perry wasn’t allowed to wear to the wedding. He remembered far too well what happened at the last wedding he had attended, when he wore a blue shirt and failed to realize the bridal party was also wearing blue. That had been awkward enough. He didn’t want to make this any harder for Marchy than it had to be.

If anything was awkward for Marchy, he sure wasn’t showing it. Marchy just acted the same way he always had; shooting the breeze about whatever was on their minds at the moment. He’d just smile and focus solely on Perry. It hadn’t affected Perry before, but now he found himself attempting to decipher Marchy’s gaze whenever he was the center of Marchy’s attention.

Perry was in for a surprise on the first leg of their back-to-back, when they arrived in Dallas. The team had never had assigned roommates to anybody before. When Perry stuck his keycard in the door and opened it, he discovered Marchy sorting through his luggage on one of the twin beds.

Marchy acknowledged Perry’s presence with a brief look up towards the door before returning to his previous activity. “I asked Gally if I could be your roomie for the rest of the season. That okay with you?”

Perry nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, I don’t have a problem with it.” He began dragging his suitcase over to the free bed.

Marchy heaved a small sigh of relief. “Good. I was afraid you’d get pissed if I didn’t ask you first.” 

“Why would I?” Perry shook his head, confused. “I enjoy your company.” He froze when he realized: that was exactly what they were planning to tell Marchy’s parents. But Perry really _did_ enjoy Marchy’s company.

“And I enjoy yours,” Marchy replied with a nod and a smile before zipping up his suitcase. “Anyway, Flower and Bill invited me to the café downstairs for a quick bite. Care to join us?”

“Sure. Just let me finish up here.”

“Cool, I’ll head down now. See you in a bit.”

“Later.” Perry heaved his suitcase onto the bed just before the impact of Marchy’s words hit him like a high stick. 

Marchy _enjoyed his company._ Could it be…?

No. It was still way too early to know for sure. One wrong move could unravel not only their ruse and their camaraderie on the ice, but also their friendship and any possibility of a relationship.

Perry finished sorting through his suitcase before heading to the café, contemplating Marchy’s feelings with every step.

***

They beat Dallas 2-1 the next day. It was ugly, but a win was a win.

Neither of them were in the mood to hang out with the others, and politely declined all offers in favor of heading back to their room.

Marchy didn’t seem tired like Perry was, but he was acting strangely. Perry exited the bathroom to find Marchy sitting on his bed, toying with his iPod Touch and visibly nervous.

“What’s up?” Perry remained in place, unsure of how to approach the situation.

“So, I was thinking…” Marchy raised his head to look at Perry. “We’ve figured out everything else, but you know everyone will be expecting us to slow dance during the reception and we haven’t even thought about that yet.”

Perry shuddered in sudden realization. “Oh, yeah. Good point.” 

“We don’t have much time left, so—” Marchy abruptly cut himself off and paused for a few moments, clearly pondering his next statement as the anxiety returned to his face. “I—I thought…well…we need to practice.”

Perry reminded himself to play it cool as he felt his heart skip a beat. “Okay,” he replied with a nonchalant shrug. 

“Uh…” Marchy recoiled slightly; clearly taken aback by the quick answer. “Now okay with you?”

Perry nodded, trying not to display any excitement. “I said it was okay.”

“Hang on.” Marchy fiddled with the iPod Touch for a bit as he searched for some suitable music. “This should work.” He set it down before pushing himself off the bed and heading towards the center of the room. 

Perry’s heart stuttered with every step he took towards Marchy as he could only hope that he was keeping a straight face. Marchy appeared relaxed until the song’s introduction ended and it became apparent that the song he had accidentally shuffled to was “I’ll Make Love to You.”

“Uh…N-not that one.” Marchy scrambled back to the bed and mashed his fingers against the screen until the music stopped.

“Yeah, a bit early for that, don’t you think?” Perry quipped with a wry smile.

Marchy’s only response was a nervous chuckle as he put the iPod Touch back down before rejoining Perry in the center of the room.

It was a good thing they were practicing, as neither of them could figure out where to put their hands. They fumbled around for a couple of minutes as they searched for comfortable postures; hands traveling across backs, shoulders, arms, and waists.

The song was almost over by the time they settled on stances they both found acceptable. Marchy rested his hands on Perry’s back, right by the outer edges of the shoulder blades. Perry’s hands were on Marchy’s waist, just above the hipbones. Perry couldn’t help but laugh to himself; since any other guy would slug him for putting his hands there.

But Marchy didn’t. Instead, he was content; looking straight into Perry’s eyes as they began to move slowly as the previous song ended and the next one began.

Marchy clearly had an eclectic taste in music, as they were going straight from Norah Jones into early Madonna. 

But the lyrics perfectly mirrored Perry’s feelings.

_Can’t you feel the weight of my stare? You’re so close, but still a world away…What I’m dying to say is that I’m crazy for you…_

Marchy’s gaze never wavered, even as Perry gazed into his eyes in return. Their breaths were as relaxed as their grip on one another had become as they continued moving, no longer needing any words.

But the song was almost over, and Perry didn’t want to let go.

“Uh…” Marchy’s eyes quickly darted from side to side before he looked back into Perry’s eyes. “Want to keep going?”

Perry couldn’t keep the enthusiasm out of his nod. “Sure.” Even though Marchy didn’t say anything, Perry couldn’t help but wonder if he had noticed.

The nagging thought soon faded away as they continued moving through song after song, maintaining their hold and gaze on one another.

Only an eventual silence jarred them out of their trance.

Marchy looked over at the bed. “I…guess we ran out of music.” 

“…Yeah.” It was late and they needed to get to bed, but Perry didn’t want this to end.

“I think we did okay. What do you think?”

“Well, at least I know where to put my hands now.” 

Marchy cracked up, causing Perry to do the same before reluctantly removing his hands from Marchy’s waist. Marchy’s hands lingered on Perry’s back for a few seconds longer before he removed them and headed to the bed to retrieve his iPod Touch.

“We’d better get some sleep. We’ve gotta get on the plane tomorrow morning.”

“Yeah.” Perry turned down the sheets on his bed before climbing in. “Good night.”

“Night.” Marchy said as he reached from his bed to turn off the light.

Sleep came easily to Perry that night as he remembered the feeling of Marchy’s hands on his back.

***

Apparently the room blocks remained static on the road, as Flower and Eaks were once again next door to Perry and Marchy when they arrived in New York City.

Flower poked his head in through the half-open door as the two were getting unpacked. “You’re not gonna play a bunch of prom music after the game again, are you? You guys kept me awake in Dallas.”

Perry and Marchy both froze as they traded nervous glances. “Wait…” Perry turned to look back at Flower. “You _heard_ all that?”

“Yeah.” Flower nodded. “What the hell was that all about?”

“Uh…” Perry glanced questioningly back at Marchy. 

Marchy took the liberty of filling Flower in. “My cousin Therese is getting married next month and I told Mom that Perry’s my boyfriend so she’d quit nagging me about my love life. Then she told me I had to bring him to the wedding, so we were practicing slow dancing so everyone would believe he really is my boyfriend.”

Flower grinned ear-to-ear as he walked into the room, closing the door behind him. “Pretending, huh?”

“Yeah.” Marchy gawked at Flower in confusion as Flower headed over to the pair. 

“So, since you two are _pretending_ to be a couple…” Flower sat down on the bed next to Perry’s luggage. “Have you two practiced kissing yet?”

_“WHAT?!”_ Perry’s face burned red-hot with embarrassment as he recoiled in shock. He glanced over at Marchy, whose cheeks were turning crimson.

“Well, yeah,” Flower replied with a half-shrug. “It’s gonna look really weird if a lovey-dovey couple doesn’t at least give each other a quick peck every now and then.” 

Perry grimaced as he realized that Flower had a point.

“I take it that’s a no.” Flower slapped his hand against the bed twice. “Come on. Right now. Show me.”

_“Now?!”_ Marchy repeated in disbelief.

“Did I fucking stutter? Come on.”

Perry’s stomach twisted as he took two steps towards Marchy, who was coming around the other side of his bed to meet him. From the tone of Flower’s voice, he wasn’t leaving until he saw some sort of lip-lock.

Even so, Perry didn’t particularly want an audience. But all they had to do was give one another a quick peck to get Flower to take a hike.

Although they had slow dancing down pat, they were back to awkward fumbling as they tried to settle on a halfway decent posture. Perry got comfortable first, placing his hands back on Marchy’s waist where he had set them once before. Marchy took a little longer, moving his hands up and down until deciding to rest them just above the small of Perry’s back.

“Okay, looks good so far.” Flower’s voice was all business, as if he were watching game film. “Just lean in a bit when you go in for the kiss.” 

The first attempt was an abysmal failure that ended with their noses bashing together and several rounds of mutual giggling. Flower snickered as he shook his head. “Try again.”

Their next attempt was delayed for a bit as they both tilted their heads a few times, trying to find a decent angle to avoid another collision. Once they were satisfied, they both leaned in slightly before freezing in place, afraid of taking the next step.

“Come on, guys. You’re in love. Make me believe it.” 

Electricity sparked across Perry’s nerves as he edged in ever so slightly, creeping millimeter by millimeter until he felt the ridges of his lips brush against Marchy’s.

Then suddenly, the sparks surged into a high-voltage current as Marchy slid forward, pressing his lips fully against Perry’s.

“Hmm, not bad,” Flower remarked from the bed.

Perry’s eyes fluttered shut as he pulled Marchy in closer, shoving their hips together as Marchy’s hands pushed firmly against his back, practically crunching their chests against one another as they both deepened the kiss.

“Okay, that’s good. Really good.” Perry could hear Flower move on the bed, but began to filter out the rustling of material as the world came to a complete stop.

Time stood still as their surroundings faded away and everything ceased to exist, with only Marchy and his kiss remaining real.

“Uh…guys?” The drone of Flower’s voice intruded on the moment. “You can stop now.”

Yet they both remained still, with neither of them attempting to pull away or even move. 

“…Right.” Flower shuffled around a bit as he stood. “I…think you two are all set.” After a few moments, Perry could hear him walking away and opening the door. “Remember, we have a team meeting in less than half an hour. I’m not coming back to get you.” And with that, Flower left and closed the door behind him.

Perry felt himself beginning to slide into unconsciousness as the lack of oxygen began clawing at his brain. Apparently it was also affecting Marchy, as they pulled away at the same time before heaving several deep breaths.

Once they had both regained their composure, they stared questioningly at one another for several long moments until Marchy worked up the nerve to speak. “You think we did okay?”

“More than okay,” Perry replied with a wide grin.

Marchy beamed, his smile blazing with the light of a celestial explosion. “Wanna try that again?”

Perry made a small noise of affirmation as he dove in for more.

The second kiss lasted nowhere near as long as the first, as they were both acutely aware of time and the fact that they would never hear the end of it from Flower if they were late. They bounced down the hall and to the elevator banks, both giddy the entire way downstairs.

Perry could barely focus on the meeting, as Marchy’s touch and lips were now emblazoned into the forefront of his mind.

***

Consummate sadness washed over Perry as he finished adjusting his tie. Once the reception was over, he and Marchy would be back to their previous distance from one another.

He didn’t want the closeness to end. Things could never go back to how they once were, not even if they had to.

The maelstrom would forever rage inside of him, tearing his soul apart, because he couldn’t put his feelings into words.

All Perry could do now was wonder what could have been had he only had the nerve as he paced around the foyer, waiting for Marchy to come pick him up.

It was a good thing that Perry had gotten ready earlier than he needed to, since Marchy was over ten minutes early. Perry was reduced to simply staring in awe at the vision standing in the doorway, a rhapsody in Armani staring straight into his eyes and his very soul.

“You look good,” was all Perry could manage.

“So do you,” Marchy replied, beaming. “Come closer. Let me look at you.” 

Perry gingerly took a few steps towards Marchy, who did the same until they were inches apart. Marchy tilted his head and smiled as he studied Perry; regarding the grey Valentino suit, white dress shirt, navy blue tie, white pocket square, and gold cufflinks.

“Uh…” Perry glanced up at Marchy, then down at his feet as the he became acutely aware of the lack of space between them. “Is this close enough?”

Marchy looked up and down, surveying the distance between them. “No, a little closer.”

“Um…” Perry inched forward until they were toe-to-toe. “How about this?”

“No, closer. Like…” Marchy raised his right arm and placed his left hand on Perry’s cheek before leaning in and tilting his head. “This.” Marchy gently guided Perry closer with his fingers, aligning their mouths before pressing his lips against Perry’s.

Adrenaline surged down Perry’s spine for one split second before he closed his eyes and relaxed into the kiss as he remained still with his hands at his sides. He didn’t dare move, for fear of ruining the moment.

Marchy pulled back slightly and smiled. “Come on, we’d better get going.”

***

Perry remembered why he hated going to Catholic weddings. He wasn’t sure what would come first: the 2020 draft, or the end of the ceremony.  
The ceremony’s length also left him to wonder how things would go with Marchy’s family. They hadn’t managed much beyond preliminary greetings and introductions while everyone was being seated. 

But the majority of his thoughts kept wandering to not only the kiss, but Marchy’s hand occasionally brushing over his. 

And Marchy’s hand was touching his far more frequently. 

Perry averted his gaze from the couple when he felt Marchy rest his palm on the back of his hand once more. He turned his head to smile at Marchy as he turned his hand and clasped Marchy’s in his.

Marchy smiled back as he returned the gesture.

Maybe, just maybe, they wouldn’t have to end their temporary arrangement after all. 

***

“So how did you two meet again?”

Sticking to their predetermined script had worked for them so far, but they hadn’t factored in stupid questions from Marchy’s aunt.

Marchy propped his elbows on the table and rested his head in his hands as he sighed in aggravation. “Francoise, we’re _teammates._ We’ve been over this.” 

Marchy’s mom finished her chardonnay. “So, you haven’t told me...Who made the first move?”

Perry shuddered. Shit. They hadn’t thought about the possibility of this question.

“I did,” Marchy immediately replied. “Once I realized I liked him, I knew I had to go in for the attack.”

“Meaning?” Francoise prompted.

I left a box of truffles in his stall on Valentine’s Day. I didn’t leave a note, though. I wanted him to go looking for me.”

Perry almost choked on his prime rib. He remembered finding the box of truffles and wondering who they were from. Everyone he had asked had no clue, and nobody in facilities had seen anyone near his stall, so the trail went cold.

_The truffles had been from Marchy?!_

“He was asking around, and nobody had any clue who they were from. But then he asked me.”

Marchy’s mom was hanging on his every word. “And what did you say?” 

“That they were from me and I’d been in love with him since October.”

The women at the table squeed. Perry grabbed his glass of water and gulped down the remainder of its contents.

Clearly Marchy was embellishing some details to satisfy his relatives, but if the remainder of what he was saying was true…they’d been in love with each other for over a year, and had both been too chicken to say anything.

They could have been together all this time…had Perry had the courage to speak up. 

This was it. He would no longer allow himself to be afraid of the truth.

“You okay?” Marchy regarded Perry with an expression of concern.

Perry put down his glass and nodded. “It was a good thing he did. I’d been in love with him just as long, but I never worked up the nerve to tell him. I used to tell myself I’d write him a letter, but they just ended up as drafts in my inbox that never got sent. I wrote him a valentine of my own when PR was doing all of those team valentines and accidentally hit send instead of delete, but I guess he never got it since he never said anything.”

Marchy coughed as the water he had been drinking went down the wrong tube. He took several deep breaths before taking a long swig of water to try and stop the coughing fit.

Now it was Perry’s turn to ask. “Are _you_ okay?”

Marchy put down his glass and turned in his chair to face Perry. “That was from _you?”_

“Yeah.” Perry nodded enthusiastically.

Another round of squees erupted from the women at the table.

Fortunately, they were able to escape further scrutiny from Marchy’s family since that was the moment the DJ gave them an out and called everyone onto the dance floor. 

Marchy grabbed Perry’s hand and pulled his arm gently. “Come on. I can’t be out on the dance floor alone.” He didn’t have to say it twice. Perry sprung up from his chair and rushed off with Marchy in tow.

“Wait.” Now it was Perry pulling Marchy’s arm as they found a spot on the very edge of the dance floor next to the marble tile. “Those truffles were from you?”

Marchy nodded. “Yeah, but I was scared you’d turn me down. That valentine was from you?”

Perry averted his gaze. “I was afraid you’d turn _me_ down.”

They both laughed as Etta James began crooning in the background. It really _was_ quite ridiculous that they both couldn’t tell each other how they felt. 

Marchy was the first to recover as he placed his hands on Perry’s back, setting them exactly where they had been in Dallas. “We practiced for this, you know.”

“I know.” Perry returned his hands to Marchy’s waist. “But I think we can stop pretending now.”

“So do I,” Marchy agreed as they began to move. “Because you really _are_ my boyfriend.”

Perry had a sudden epiphany. “Is that why you asked me to come here with you?”

Marchy nodded. “I didn’t want it to be anyone else. I wanted to be close to you, even if only for a little while…”

“That’s why I agreed,” Perry confessed.

“You free next Thursday?” Marchy inquired. “I can get us into Andre’s.” 

“Well, I had plans…” Errands would always take a backseat to Marchy. “But for you, of course I’m free.”

Just as Madonna had, Etta James captured Perry’s feelings perfectly as they both leaned in for their first kiss as a couple.

_And here we are in heaven, 'cause you are mine at last!_


End file.
